Judge Chris Taylor on Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast Episode Summary

Episode: Judge Chris Taylor on Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
Date: March 31, 2026
Guests: Judge Chris Taylor
Hosts: MeidasTouch Network (Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas)
Featured Interviewer: Ron Filipkowski

Episode Overview

This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast centers on the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race, a contest being closely watched due to its pivotal role in preserving and potentially expanding the court’s current pro-democracy majority in Wisconsin. The hosts and featured commentator Ron Filipkowski welcome Judge Chris Taylor, a candidate for the open Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, for an in-depth discussion on the stakes of the election, threats to judicial independence, and Judge Taylor’s unique qualifications and background. The conversation provides a sobering yet hopeful look at democracy’s fight at the state level and highlights the importance of civic engagement as Wisconsin prepares for a high-stakes election on April 7th.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why the Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Matters

[07:27 – 09:24]

• The hosts and Ron Filipkowski underscore the national significance of the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
• The current 4–3 pro-democracy majority is fragile, and Judge Taylor’s election could both solidify and expand that margin.
• Noted recent attacks on Wisconsin elections and federal lawsuits seeking sensitive voting information.
• Judge Chris Taylor: “There is a pro democracy majority right now by one vote. All these important cases are being decided. But also we have four elections coming up after mine. So the composition of this court can change on a dime. And there is so much at stake in protecting our rights, in protecting our democracy, and protecting the independence of our state against the overreach of the federal government that we're seeing.” (09:00)

2. Erosion of Basic Rights and Judicial Independence

[08:11 – 11:54]

• Discussion on the broader threats to democratic institutions, drawing parallels to trends in Hungary and Russia.
• The judiciary is under unprecedented attack from those seeking to erode checks and balances.
• Judge Chris Taylor: “I never thought I would see this attack on an independent judiciary. … This is really concerning because our system of government depends on a fiercely independent judiciary. … The courts are our last line of defense against some of these really alarming unconstitutional actions and activities we're seeing.” (10:26 – 11:54)

3. Judge Chris Taylor's Background & Motivation

[12:30 – 14:36]

• Taylor describes a “deep commitment to making sure people are protected,” rooted in personal family history and professional experience.
• Unique career trajectory: private practice, law and policy director for Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, nine-year state legislator, and experience as both a circuit court and court of appeals judge.
• Judge Chris Taylor: “The through line in my career is a deep commitment to making sure people are protected, their rights are protected, and a deep commitment to making sure that everybody gets equal justice under the law ... and I am running to be a justice for the people of the state of Wisconsin.” (14:12)

4. What Voters in Wisconsin Are Saying

[14:36 – 16:36]

• Taylor shares her experiences traveling around Wisconsin: widespread frustration with government prioritizing billionaires over working people, concern about high prices and economic uncertainty.
• Grassroots organizing is occurring in both rural and urban communities.
• Judge Chris Taylor: “People are so hungry for a government that works for them. … Our small businesses [have been impacted] by tariffs … government is really doing great for the billionaires, but not for working people. … People want government to have their backs. They want a court that cares about them and their rights.” (14:57 – 16:36)

5. Call to Action & Campaign Details

[16:50 – 18:03]

• Taylor urges listeners to see this election as an opportunity to stand up for rights, elections, and the integrity of Wisconsin as a state.
• Guide for getting involved provided: chrisforjustice.com.
• Judge Chris Taylor: “We have an opportunity here in Wisconsin to stand up, to stand up for people, to stand up for our rights, to stand up for our elections, our democracy, to say to the federal government, you're not going to invade our independence as a state. … We have to keep working to create the state and the nation that we want and that our kids deserve.” (16:50 – 18:03)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the fragility of democracy in Wisconsin:
  "All these important cases are being decided. … the composition of this court can change on a dime."
  — Judge Chris Taylor (09:00)

• On judicial independence:
  “The judiciary is not a rubber stamp of the other branches of government. The judiciary is a check on the other branches of government. That is why I'm running.”
  — Judge Chris Taylor (10:26)

• On the role of courts in defending democracy:
  “The courts are our last line of defense against some of these really alarming unconstitutional actions and activities we're seeing.”
  — Judge Chris Taylor (11:54)

• On grassroots organization:
  "I was in a very rural county, Waupaca county, not too long ago, and there’s groups there organizing... I've been totally inspired by the people of Wisconsin."
  — Judge Chris Taylor (15:40)

• On the opportunity for change:
  “We have a great opportunity here and I think the people of the state of Wisconsin are going to turn out big and they are going to vote for justice. They are going to vote for democracy.”
  — Judge Chris Taylor (18:00)

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Important Timestamps & Segments

| Time | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 07:27 | Stakes of the upcoming Wisconsin SC race introduced | | 08:11 | Discussion of threats to democracy and rights | | 10:26 | Threats to judicial independence, Taylor’s motivation | | 12:30 | Judge Taylor’s personal and professional background | | 14:36 | Voters’ concerns and grassroots sentiments statewide | | 16:50 | How to support Taylor’s campaign, closing remarks | | 18:03 | Episode transitions to podcast wrap-up |

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Ways to Learn More and Get Involved

• Judge Chris Taylor’s Campaign: www.chrisforjustice.com
• Wisconsin Supreme Court Special Election: April 7, 2026. Early voting now open.
• MeidasTouch Podcast Community: Subscribe for updates and more deep dives on democracy, state politics, and urgent civic issues.

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Summary Notes

This episode offers critical insights into the perils and possibilities facing Wisconsin (and by extension, American democracy) in 2026. Judge Chris Taylor articulates, in a clear and passionate voice, the need for active defense of judicial probity and electoral fairness. Listeners are left with explicit avenues for engagement and a sense of cautious hope rooted in grassroots activism.

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For anyone interested in state-level democracy, judicial elections, and the ongoing struggle to preserve civil rights and the rule of law, this episode serves as an accessible call to vigilance, participation, and optimism grounded in action.

Transcript

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[Judge Chris Taylor]

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[Judge Chris Taylor]

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[Judge Chris Taylor]

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[Ron Filipkowski]

Donald Trump just got a rude awakening. Not just in the size of those no Kings protests. By the way, what I just showed you at the outset was in Madison, Wisconsin's no Kings protests. More on that in a moment. But the latest Gallup poll measuring voter ID was just released. And since the history of Gallup measuring voter id, never before have the Republicans been so low and Democrats surging ahead so high. Let's take a look at The Gallup voter ID poll that was just released, folks. It is a plus 10 Democrat advantage in voter ID. This is the largest ever recorded party ID advantage that Dems have had in any quarter since Gallup started tracking this back in the first quarter of 2015. And Republicans have never fallen below 40. And right now they are at 39 and they are sinking even more. Just look right here at this graph you can see in Gallup's quarterly partisan affiliation poll. On this chart right here, you can see Democrats surging and you can see Republicans tanking. And that's like a straight line down. Right now you see the Republicans taking, you know, I'm just reminded also getting into this mess with Donald Trump's fraudulent promises. I'm gonna do this. We'll make things affordable on day one. And all of the gimmicks that have now been utterly exposed. Donald Trump's in a disastrous and catastrophic war in Iran that continues to escalate. Prices continue to surge. Gas prices, prices of groceries people can't afford. Ren psychologically tortured, living paycheck to paycheck here, if they're lucky enough to get a paycheck. Health care is being ripped away from people in the United States in places like Wisconsin and all states across this country. Here's what Donald Trump did in Wisconsin. Remember this stunt where he dressed as like a garbage man on October 30, 2024? Like, I'm taking the garbage out. And like the corporate media was like, look, he's doing the garbage man stunt. And we were calling this out. We're like, he's going to destroy the United States. Here, play this clip just to remind you of what went down.

[Interviewer]

Play this clip.

[Judge Chris Taylor]

How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.

[Ron Filipkowski]

As I think about Wisconsin and I think about the midterms I think it's important that we also remember that there are a lot of races that are taking place before the midterms Supreme Court state races. Critical. Remember back on April 1st of 2025, when now Supreme Court Justice Susan Crawford went on to defeat the MAGA repub in Brad Schimmel, who was backed by Elon Musk. Remember Trump and Musk threw all that money into Wisconsin to try to crush to crush now Justice Susan Crawford. And she went on to prevail. We had her on multiple times on the Midas Touch podcast. I just want to remind you quickly of her win. This was from April 1, 2025, when Trump and Musk threw everything at her and she prevailed.

[Interviewer]

Here at Play this clip.

[Judge Chris Taylor]

I forgot to tell you, as a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I'd be taking on the richest man in the world. For justice in Wisconsin.

[Commercial Announcer]

And we won.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Now I wanted to show you that because Wisconsin, which is being absolutely under severe attack by the Trump regime, they have a critical Supreme Court race that is set to take place on April 7th. And this race is critical to expand the Pro Democracy Coalition's 4 to 3 majority. There are going to be like four other races kind of thereafter in the coming months and time, but this one's April 7th. Early voting is right now. And so I want to introduce introduce you to someone by the name of Judge Chris Taylor. She served at basically every level of government. I mean, first she started off as a lawyer for Planned Parenthood. She's been a state legislature legislator. Um, she's been a trial court judge, a court of appeals judge. And she's really representing the Pro Democracy ticket in this race for a Supreme Court justice seat that's now open on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. So right now it's a 4 to 3 pro democracy majority. It's critical that Wisconsin expand that and not take any of this for granted.

[Interviewer]

I want to bring in an incredible judge, Judge Chris Taylor, who's running for that Supreme Court justice seat in this 4 to 3 currently pro democracy majority, as I like to call it. There is this pro democracy majority that's taken hold. This could solidify and expand that and we should never take anything for granted. And I know there was somebody in the seat that you're running running for who was viewed as so far out of touch with the people of Wisconsin and so right wing, radical, anti democracy that not even running. But it's a very competitive race. People need to focus on it.

[Ron Filipkowski]

So Judge, I want to get into

[Interviewer]

your background a little bit, but tell us the stakes first about this election and why it's so important.

[Judge Chris Taylor]

Well, the stakes are huge. I mean, we have seen an erosion of our basic rights and liberties at the federal level. We have seen attacks on our valid elections here in Wisconsin. There numerous lawsuits brought to overturn the 2020 election. Even though it was a valid, fair election. I don't think those attacks are going to stop. And we have constant attacks and lawsuits being brought to try to prevent eligible citizens and make it harder for them to vote. We are currently actually being sued the state of Wisconsin by the federal government. They want to get access to our private voting information. So we have a ton at stake here in Wisconsin. There is a pro democracy majority right now by one vote. All these important cases are being decided. But also we have four elections coming up after mine. So the composition of this court can change on a dime. And there is so much at stake in protecting our rights, in protecting our democracy and protecting the independence of our state against the overreach of the federal government that we're seeing.

[Interviewer]

Did you ever think, you know, I've been a lawyer for a while. I mean, I went to law school, you know, being a true believer in the rule of law. But then seeing how our Justice Department or the injustice department has behaved, seeing the rule of law be trampled on, I sometimes fear that my audience may think I'm being hyperbolic when I describe the crisis from that, from the perspective of, like, why I loved being a lawyer and what I see now. But when I call this out as authoritarianism and when I describe what we're seeing here as what we see in Orban's Hungary and Putin's Russia and places like that, I just. That's at least the goal, I feel, of a lot of these kind of MAGA people and what they want to achieve. And one of the ways they're trying to do it is attacked the courts, put their plants in the courts and then erode from within. Talk to us about that.

[Judge Chris Taylor]

Yeah, I mean, I never thought I would see this attack on an independent judiciary. I mean, at the federal level, you have seen, you know, federal lower district courts who are just trying to do their job. A lot of these judges were appointed by Republicans and they have been threatened with impeachment. They've been targeted for violence and threats. This is really concerning because our system of government depends on a fiercely independent judiciary. The judiciary is not a rubber stamp of the other branches of government. The judiciary is a check on the other branches of government. That is why I'm running. We need to have a strong court that is going to hold the other branches of government accountable when they act unlawfully and unconstitutionally. And we have to got to stand up against this infringement on the rights and the independence of our state that is being perpetuated and perpetrated by the federal government. So these are things honestly I never thought I would see in my lifetime. I also never thought I'd see in my lifetime. Mass federal agents in our neighboring state kill two people. And so these are really concerning times. We have to have strong courts. The courts are our last line of defense against some of these really alarming unconstitutional actions and activities we're seeing.

[Interviewer]

Tell us a little bit about your background, Judge. Because first off, whenever I do these interviews about Supreme Court races and Supreme Court these seats, and I teach over at USC Law and I describe the process, lots of people are even surprised that there are elections and so four Supreme Court seats, that very concept sometimes is a little bit far. You run for the office. And so I go, yeah, a lot of times you run for the office. There are different rules in federal versus state. But talk to us about your background and what led you to run for this critical position.

[Judge Chris Taylor]

Sure. Well, I mean, three things have really motivated me throughout my entire life. I care deeply about people. I believe people need to be at the center of their government, not relegated to the periphery. I am passionate about standing up against injustice. And as a little kid, I felt this way. I didn't like seeing people treated unfair or bullied. And then third, I learned from my own family's experience that the law can be a powerful tool to lift people up and improve their lives. My grandmother was a single mother to my mother for most of my mother's childhood. And my grandmother struggled to make ends meet until she got a union job and she was able to be fairly compensated. She was able to support three kids and help my mom go to college. My mom became a public school teacher. So I saw from an early age that the law can be a powerful tool to improve people's lives, to strengthen communities. And I graduated from UW Madison Law School over 30 years ago. I have a really unique, diverse background. I've been in private practice representing just normal people who had legal issues. I was the law and policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, where I worked to protect women's ability to access reproductive health care and make their own decisions. I was a legislator. Nobody has that experience on the court. So I was a legislator for nine Years, I dealt with all kinds of issues. I understand the different roles of the government. I understand the legislative process, which is really helpful for a judge. And then for the last six years, I've been a judge both on the circuit court level, that's the trial court, and on the court of appeals. I have looked at the law from every different angle. And the through line in my career is a deep commitment to making sure people are protected, their rights are protected, and a deep commitment to making sure that everybody gets equal, equal justice under the law that's not just reserved for the most powerful and the most privileged and the biggest corporation that is for everybody. And I am running to be a justice for the people of the state of Wisconsin.

[Interviewer]

When you travel around Wisconsin right now as part of this election, just a reminder for everybody, it's coming up. It's April 7th. It's right around the corner. I mean, it's right here. Early voting is now, though, right? I mean, you can vote now. What are you hearing from people? Right? What's the common thing that you hear as you're traveling?

[Judge Chris Taylor]

The most common thing that I hear as I travel all around and I'm in very northern Wisconsin right now in Hudson, is people are so hungry for a government that works for them. They are feeling the squeeze. Prices are high, gas prices are high. We're in seemingly another war. People have been really impacted, our small businesses by tariffs. That has caused a lot of chaos. And so I think people are really feeling that government is not working for them. That government is really doing great for the billionaires, but not for working people. And my message to them is, look, we can make a big difference in the courts. We can elect justices who are committed to protecting your rights, to prioritizing you, and not the most powerful and the most privileged. And so I have great hope. I have seen amazing things throughout the state of Wisconsin. People are organizing here. They are taking action to protect our democracy and our elections. From the time tiniest little town. I was in a very rural county, Waupaca county, not too long ago, and there's groups there organizing. Their group was just do something. And they are organizing to protect our democracy. So I've been totally inspired by the people of Wisconsin. I think we're going to have a really healthy turnout on April 7, and you can't really vote now. So that's a really great thing. But people want government to have their backs. They want a court that cares about them and their rights. And that's why I'm running. That's what that's the kind of justice that I will be.

[Interviewer]

Where can people learn more about you, about the campaign? If they want to help, where can they go to that? And anything you want to say to our 7 million subscribers that we haven't hit before we go?

[Judge Chris Taylor]

Sure. Well, people can go to www.chrisforjustice.com. that's C H R I S F O R justice.com and you know, the last mess message that I guess I want to leave people with is it's hard to see opportunity sometime when you're reading the paper every day and listening to the news, you don't know where to start. But we have an opportunity here in Wisconsin to stand up, to stand up for people, to stand up for our rights, to stand up for our elections, our democracy, to say to the federal government, you're not going to invade our independence as a state. And that's exciting. So I want people to see the potential and the hope we have to keep working to create the state and the nation that we want and that our kids deserve. And that's what we can do in this race. And so I'm excited about it. We have a great opportunity here and I think the people of the state of Wisconsin are going to turn out big and they are going to vote for justice. They are going to vote for democracy. And I hope that that is recognized by the whole country.

[Interviewer]

Judge Chris Taylor running for Wisconsin, the Supreme Court justice seat. Great to meet you. Great to hear about your incredible background as well at all levels of government policy. Planned Parenthood. Truly the type of person we'd want in a position like this who's lived a life of being with the people. So thanks for joining us.

[Judge Chris Taylor]

Thanks so much for having me. It was really, really fun.

[Interviewer]

Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to that 7 million subscriber mark this month.

[Ron Filipkowski]

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